Writing Tips

I have ONE writing tip.

Get out those writing tips and re-read them!

If you are like me, you have printed numerous pages of writing tips. Or, you have numerous  books on writing.

But, how long has it been since you got out those tips and read them again or got out those books and refreshed your memory on the tips and info they gave you?

I have been organizing my writing space. I don't have a room devoted to my writing (wish I did), but I mainly use our family room for my writing.

I have rearranged my family room. I have went through and organized my three bookcases. I have gotten rid of a bunch of books (took them to the thrift store or my writing group). I have rearranged the books I have left and grouped them according to what they are about.

And, I switched out my dad's old trunk with another bookcase I had in an adjoining room. Now I have all four bookcases in one room.

The above are my reference books. I write articles for kids and these books are filled with helpful ideas and info. 

These are my writing books - how-to books, dictionaries, thesauruses, etc.

 

Here is my tray of folders filled with info - writing tips, publishers, submissions, etc.

What I am saying to do in this blog post is to use your info you have gathered down through the years.

Get out those tips and refresh your brain.
Get out those books and refresh your brain.
Have them organized so they are easy to find and get to.

Then do what you love - write!

Editing and Writing Tips

 I'm a reader of writing tips. 

Writing is a talent, but a person is never too old or too young to learn.

I love writing, but I think I love editing even more. I love molding my story into a better story. Into the best story that I can.

Editing does that.

I'm always reading about finding filler words and getting rid of them. Finding passive words, vague words, redundant phrases, and common cliches and getting rid of them.

I am in the process of writing a sequel to my novel, Where the Stars Grant Wishes, and I have been editing it to rid my manuscript of those filler words.

Some of the words I've been searching for are IT, SOME, THEY, THEM, etc.

My story had a lot of those vague words. I am one of those writers who doesn't have to lower my word count. I need to up my word count. And in getting rid of these words and getting more specific, I found that I actually upped my word count - Yeah!

Another way I found to up my word count is in description.

Early this morning I opened the door and stared out. I soaked in all the sights and sounds and came up with passages that I could easily find a place for in my manuscript.

If you go outside during the day and sit and observe everything around you, new ideas will appear all around you. 

Are you in the middle of writing a manuscript?

Do you like editing?

Click here and here to see a few of my other posts on writing tips.

 

Painless Writing

What is painless writing? What is painful writing?

Painless writing is when the words flow from your mind onto the paper and keyboard.

Painful writing is when you pour your heart and soul into your work, only to get it rejected. Or worse yet, after months of waiting, not even receiving a reply.

Painless writing is writing for free, because you love to write.

Painful writing is writing for free, while spending money for books of the craft, conferences, contests, reams of paper and writing classes.

Painless writing is the wonderful, encouraging and understanding writing friends you meet.

Painful writing is when family and friends just don't understand. They don't understand the work and time involved, they don't understand that writing for children isn't easy, they don't understand what an accomplishment it is to get published (no matter how small the publication) or they don't understand how hard it is to get your story picked out of a huge slush pile of stories.

What is the purpose of this article? It is to say that writers need to be tough and persevere the times of painful writing until the painless writing overcomes and our goals are met.

And also to show you a book I purchased at the WVUP Bookstore when we went there on Wednesday to buy my son's college books for next semester. It was only 9.99, so I bought it. They also had books titled Painless Grammar and Painless Vocabulary.

It is filled with writing challenges called Brain Ticklers, examples, tips and web site addresses for further information on topics in the book. It takes you here . . . click on writing advice for lots of helpful information. Plus there are many more site addresses where you can go for helpful information.

To help your writing to be a little less painful, go here for character traits and go here for descriptive words.

Of course, the most important thing of all is writing the story everyone is wanting to read, the story that hasn't been written yet and the story all the publishers are looking for. So, write down your list of goals and write, write and write.



What is your definition of painful or painless writing?

Picture Book Writing Tips

Well, one down and only six to go.

I've drafted my first picture book in the challenge. Now to my housework.

I'm far from an expert, but I like to browse the internet, read articles and books and find out all I can about the craft of writing.

Here are a few tips on writing picture books to help us all in the challenge:

Don't Focus on how your main character looks. Leave that to the illustrator, unless it is integral to the story.

Leave the illustrator space to create the pictures. ( This is hard for me. I want to put in all the colorful and fun descriptions. We need to leave that up to the illustrator. Don't write anything that doesn't need to be written).

Pick your character's name well.

Use the following to help your story:

Onomatopoeia (sound words)

Repitition

Rhyme (But, if you use rhyme,it has to be perfect!)

Rhythm

Examples of sound words:

Achoo!
Baa Baa, Bam, Bang, Beep, Boing, Boom, Bubble, Buzz, Burp, Babble
Cheep, Crash, Click, Clatter, Cluck, Chirp, Crackle, Clang, Crunch, Cuckoo
Ding, Dong
Eek!
Fizz, Flutter
Gurgle, Gobble, Gargle, grr
Hiss, Honk
Moo, Meow
Neigh
Oink, Ouch!
Plunk, patter, poof! plop, pop! pow, plunk, purr,
Quack
Ratatattat, rattle, rumble, ribbit
Screech, sizzle, sniff, snort, splatter, splash, squish, snap, swoosh, sputter, splat
Thump, tick-tock, tweet, twitter, tinkle
Varoom!
Whack, whizz, woof, wham! whir,
Yelp, yowl
Zoom, zing

Run the list off and add more words of your own.

I have a fabric covered bulletin board where I slip tips and story ideas, calls for submissions, and such behind the criss crossed ribbons. It sits by my computer for easy reference.

While writing your stories, you can post writing tips, examples of sound words, etc. on the board to help your creative juices flow.

A B C's of Writing

If you notice, I have a picture of a booklet I wrote on my sidebar.
I had fun putting it together.
The Table of Contents consist of: A B C's of Writing, Specific Words, Find Button, Tips on Writing ABC Books, Tips on Writing Articles, Prompts, What If's, Sites for Writers, Last, But Not Least - Helpful Tidbits and Author Info.

I thought I would share a little of the A to Z Book on Writing
If you are a freelance writer, or would like to give writing a try, there are times when you are at a loss as to what to write about. Below are a few ideas.

A

ABC BOOKS.*

Pick a topic and write a unique ABC book for small children.

ADVERTISEMENTS

ANTHOLOGY Gather stories and put together an anthology

ARTICLES.*

There is always a need for someone to write articles.

ASSEMBLE YOUR TOOLS.

Dictionary, Thesaurus, Pens, Pencils, Computer, Books, The Elements of Style Handbook, Writing Tablets (keep small one at your bedside and with you at all times for whenever an idea pops into your head)

 B

BIOGRAPHIES Pick a favorite person, research and write a biography

BITS OF WISDOM Share bits of wisdom with others

BLOGS Start a blog and write daily or weekly posts. Write about your passion, your craft, your day to day life.

BOOKMARKS Make bookmarks with your info, books, etc. printed on them to give out.

BORROWED STARTERS When you are at a loss for an idea, pick up a book and borrow the first sentence. Write your own manuscript, article, poem or prose starting with that first sentence.

BROCHURES Write brocures. Focus on a topic, be specific and mix writing styles (Bullet points, numbers and lists). Add photos.

BUSINESS CARDS Always have business cards to give out

C

CHAPBOOKS Write a collection of poems or short stories and put them together in a chapbook. Stay to a certain theme.

CHARACTERS Collect unique, quirky, fun characters. Write them down and give them a home in your writing.

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL They are always asking for submissions. Check their site often for new topics

COLLECTIBLES Collectibles are very popular. Write about a group of collectibles or a single collectible.

COLUMNS Write columns for newspapers or magazines

CONTESTS Enter Please!

COOKBOOKS Who doesn't love cookbooks? Put together a family cookbook, school cookbook, workplace cookbook or a specialty cookbook. There are publishers who deal specifically with printing of cookbooks. 

COUNTING BOOKS As with ABC books, there is always room on the bookshelf for one more. Pick a topic and make yours unique. Put the counting into a storyline such as ... One day one little puppy walked down the road. A kitty joined him and then there were two.

CRAFT BOOKS If you are good at a certain craft, write a book about it. Blog about it.

CRITIQUE GROUPS Join at least one!

The subjects with an * beside of it, means there is more about that topic later in the booklet. 

I hope you enjoyed this small peek into my booklet. In the ABC section, I go through the entire alphabet - even finding an entry for Z!

I know I am quite often at a loss as to what to write about. This booklet helps spark my imagination when I need a little nudge.

Do you need a little nudge? Just let me know and I will email you a free PDF copy of the booklet.

Posted by Janet Smart on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Whipping Your Manuscript Into Shape and Free PDF Booklet

I am getting ready for National Picture Book Month . . . and PiBoIdMo!

I am going to try (notice I said try) to post about picture books every day in November! That is a big endeavor, so I am already writing posts and saving them.

Stop by each day and read and learn a little bit about picture books.
I will try not to disappoint you.


But, until November arrives I am working on my middle grade novels.
I've got out my whip and I am whipping them into shape.

Here is a little checklist of some things I am doing.

√   If something is in there that shouldn't  be - delete it to the wastebasket - no matter how much you are attached to it.

√  Check the chapter endings - do they make us excited to go on to the next chapter? If not, change them so they do.

 √  Does the first page make us want to continue reading? If not, change it so it does.


√  Use your find button. Check for 'it'. I bet most of them can be changed to a more specific noun. Check for 'that'. I bet many of them can be taken out. Check for 'ly' words. Check for telling words, such as: saw, smelled, heard and felt.

√  Check for 'your overused' words. You know what I mean, favorite words that pop into your writing too many times. Everyone's words are different. I have a tendency to overuse old, that, of and just.

Other unnecessary words can be: about, actually, almost, like, appears, approximately, even, exactly, finally and really. Check for redundant phrases, such as: sat down, end result,  free gift, combine together, kneel down, raise up, exact same, etc. You get the idea.

√  Check your story. Does your character grow? Are your characters likeable? Do they have flaws? No one likes a perfect character. Are there unique parts in your manuscript? Is there something in your story that makes it stand out? etc.

Are you whipping a manuscript into shape? Hope my checklist helps you out a little. 

√  Check out my sidebar. If you want a free PDF of my booklet, The Handy Little A to Z Book on Writing, just email me and let me know. I'll  email one out to you. Contents include: A B Cs of Writing, Specific Words, Find Button, Tips on Writing ABC Books, Tips on Writing Articles,  Prompts, What If's, Sites for Writers, Last, But Not Least - Helpful Tidbits.

I think you'll like it!

Happy Writing and don't forget about November and Picture Book Month.

Posted by Janet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.